Iran eyes 'constructive engagement''—but not with Israel

Thursday, 23 Jan 2014 | 4:18 AM ETCNBC.com

SHARES

'No one can live alone': Rouhani

Hassan Rouhani, Iran's president, takes centre stage at Davos to discuss the country's place in the world and says that his views on social, economic and political issues is one of "prudent moderation."

Iran wants "constructive engagement with the world"—excluding Israel, its President Hassan Rouhani told global leaders gathered at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Rouhani's message to the Davos delegates was one of better political and economic co-operation, but he stressed firmly that this is only with countries which Iran recognizes, in a clear snub to Israel—which Tehran refuses to recognize and previous leaders have asked to be "wiped off the map."

Shimon Peres, President of Israel, called the speech: "A great occasion that was missed."

He added that Iran, viewed as a rogue state by much of the international community for decades, has "fingers in many horrible pies."

In his much-anticipated address on the conference's second day, Rouhani stressed that developing nuclear weapons had no place in Iran's security strategy and that he sees no "impediment" to the agreement over Iranian nuclear power agreed in Geneva last year.

Iran economy on par with EM: Rouhani

Iran has the potential to become one of the world's top ten economies within three decades, Iran's president Hassan Rouhani tells Davos.

A deal for Iran to freeze parts of its nuclear program in return for sanctions relief took effect on January 20.

"This is a long and winding and difficult road," Rouhani told the economists, politicians and business people gathered at the conference. His very presence at the conference is a symbol of change in Iran, for years a pariah state to the West.

Rouhani also said Iran had the potential to be one of the world's 10 largest economies within the next next three decades. He opened the door to more international investment in the country, which has recently struggled economically after being unable to sell its oil abroad, and pledged that new investment contracts for the country's most valuable asset, oil, will be ready by September.

Such a change would require constitutional change in the country, which has been closed to foreign investment for years. Reformist Rouhani may need to prove the success of his nuclear agreement before he can further open up the economy.

Discussing health-care reform, innovation and America's energy future from Davos, Switzerland, with Gov. Rick Perry, R-Texas. For the world to continue to grow, Saudi Arabia needs to be a major player, Perry says.